Looking for happiness in all the wrong places

Post 2 of 10 of Jessicas favorits for 2012 - enjoy!

Why is it that it takes something as dramatic as a cancer diagnosis to wake you up to the way you should be living your life? One wasn’t even enough for me. I needed to be hit with the C-bomb twice in order to get the universe’s message that I was looking at life all wrong.

 We tend to think that life comes at us, not from us; and that our thoughts are a result of our reality rather than the other way around. We struggle to climb the career ladder thinking that status and enough money to be able to make weekly Net-a-Porta purchases will make us happy. We plaster on the make-up and pretty personalities in the hope that we will attract a partner that will complete us. And we have images of Sex And The City type friendships in our minds, making our own regular circle seem inadequate in comparison. This is twisted thinkin’. While achieving all of this may make you happy to begin with, after a while you get that empty unsatisfied feeling again and off you go in search of better clothes, a better job and a better partner in hopes that these material gains will help fill the void.

 We are constantly looking outside of ourselves for happiness, when all we need to do is send the search party within. It’s like my man the Dalai Lama once said,

“The central method for achieving a happier life is to train your mind in a daily practice that weakens negative attitudes and strengthens positive ones.”

Such a wise ol’ chap, isn’t he?

 There’s nothing worse than someone acting all holier than thou and telling you that happiness is as easy as sitting on your tush in a trance for an hour a day. So that’s not what I’m going to do. I’m going to give you some easy, simple and do-able tips for bringing happiness back to your life today. This second. Maybe before you even finish reading this post. Sound good? Great! Let’s do this.

 10 ways to cultivate happiness RIGHT NOW!

 1. Count your blessings. The more you show gratitude for the all the goodness you have in your life, the more goodness you will attract. The universe rewards grateful people.

 2. Control what you can, let go of what you can’t. Do you best and let nature do the rest. Instead of struggling, fighting and beating yourself up over things that don’t flow as smoothly as you’d like, accept what you can’t control. Learn to be wise enough to know the difference.

 3. Learn to love yourself. According to the Mighty Mother of Metaphysics, Louise Hay, most (if not all) of our issues stem from the belief that we are not good enough. We’ve been berating ourselves our whole lives – of course we aren’t happy! It’s time to turn that around. Write out and repeat the affirmation, “I love and approve of myself.” Stick it to your mirror so that it catches your eye whenever you go to criticize yourself.

 4. Be kind to yourself. Do things that make you happy. Spoil yourself.

 5. Spend time with people who make you happy. When you hang out with Negative Nancy and Alexander Downer, there’s no wonder you’re in the doldrums. Surround yourself with positive, inspiring people who you love to be around.

 6. Get some perspective. When it seems as though life has handed you a shit sandwich, take a moment to think about all the people who are in far a worse position than you. I guarantee that as bad as it seems, you will always find someone struggling more than you.

 7. Eat real food. Nothing makes your body happier than when you refrain from shoveling processed, chemicalised “food-like substances” in your mouth and feed it with fresh, living, organic plant-faced whole foods. It’s a happiness ripple effect from your cells right up to your brain.

 8. Move you ass. Regularly. Get those feel-good mood endorphins pumping by exercising every day. Or, as much as you possibly can, anyway. Not only does exercise alter the serotonin levels in your brain, but it will also cause you to shower yourself in praise for your efforts. Double win.

 9. Pay it forward. Being charitable, doing your bit for humanity, donating a portion of your paycheck, going out of your way to do something for someone else – it all helps to make YOU feel good as well. Not only will it attract good karma in the long run, but in the short term it will give you a great feeling of self-worth.

 10. Get your OM on. I know I said I wasn’t going to tell you to sit in a trance for hours each day, but how about starting at just 15 minutes? The absolute best way to connect to your inner whatever-you-wanna-call-it and re-connect your mind with your body is to meditate. Start with 15 minutes a day of sitting silent and still, focusing on your breath and work your way up to half an hour. It might be a struggle at first, but the benefits will make it worth it.